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Steamboat Springs  Ian Rumley got his first tattoo at age 14. He stole ink from his high school art classroom, went home and tattooed a small heart on his inner ankle in honor of his girlfriend.

Now a tattoo artist of 14 years and a high school art teacher himself, Rumley never would allow his students to do what he did.

“It’s a good ice breaker; they relate to that and what I do,” Rumley said about his tatted arms, hands and neck. But he still thinks a foundation in basic art is the key to tattoo art. As a teacher, fine artist and tattoo artist, Rumley is no stranger to the fine line between skin ink and gallery-worthy fine art.

Rumley, a Denver native, has been showing his tattoo-inspired surrealist paintings as fine art for about seven years, and he has an art show at local tattoo shop Body Graffix opening Friday during First Friday Artwalk.

With his store’s first show on Artwalk, he wants to bring that concept to the rest of the art community.

“I want people that don’t know about tattooing to realize it is its own art form,” he said. “There’s no boundaries.”

Rumley’s work fuses his influences, from pen-and-ink tattoo drawing and science-fiction books to his interest in cultural dissent and counterculture.

He said his interest isn’t in shock value — “that’s too easy,” he said. But whether it’s on someone’s skin or on canvas, he hopes his work spurs a conversation.

“I feel like for the last 20 years, those lines have been blurred, that question of what is ‘fine art,’” he said. “But there’s something kind of lowbrow about tattooing that I like, that it’s not always accepted. I don’t really pay too much attention to where those lines blur.”

First Friday Artwalk listings for Feb. 3

Artists’ Gallery of Steamboat presents Jim Gmeiner, with new mixed media on canvas and photo images; Sandy Graves showing new bronzes of wildlife and horses; and new work from pastel artist and painter Janice Lawrence.

Thomas D. Mangelsen has long been recognized as one of the world’s premier nature photographers. He recently was named 2011 Conservation Photographer of the Year to add to his portfolio as one of the most awarded photographers of our time. www.mangelsen.com.

Introducing new Boulder artist member Leah Bradley and her colorful impressionistic oil paintings celebrating the abundance of everyday life. The gallery’s 33 local artists round out a stunning collection of new photography, paintings, sculpture and fun mixed media. Complimentary wine and hors d’oeuvres. www.steamboatartcenter.com.

The Tread of Pioneers Museum proudly presents: “Rex Gill: The Man, The Mountains, The Desert,” a photographic exhibition of the work of local poet, photographer and mountaineer Rex Gill. Gill came to Steamboat Springs in 1918 to experience the uninhabited wilderness of Routt County, and while mountaineering and climbing here, he photographed the sacred and remote places that fueled his passions. www.treadofpioneers.org.

Ian Rumley is a fine artist, professional tattoo artist, high school art teacher and muralist from Denver. His work has evolved into a hybrid of his experience in the tattoo industry and his formal training in the fine arts.

Comb Goddess features a body of work by artist and photographer Julia Ortiz, who embraces the idea of journey and discovery. Ortiz flirts with imperfections in minute detail only to showcase them boldly with colors and textures. Open until 7 p.m.

Off the Beaten Path Bookstore presents multimedia work by various artists bringing awareness to issues surrounding violence against women, our local Advocates Building Peaceful Communities nonprofit organization and the national V-Day organization.